Istanbul- walk vs tram

[hobbess]

Originally, I was planning on doing a golden horn walk where I walked from the port terminal onto to the Galata Bridge till I got to the Sirecki train station and then took the tram to see Istanbul's Old Town.

 

But, now, I'm wondering if I should skip that walk and take the nearest tram so I can get into Istanbul's Old Town right away. Are there any sights in that area- Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace- that have such long lines that I should try to reach before the rest of the cruise passengers descend on the area?

 

And, from going from one tram stop to the next tram stop, like Gulhane to Sutanahmet, is it faster to walk or take the tram when you factor in the time you have to wait for the tram?

 

Finally, I wanted to go see the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent but its not on the tram route. There's two tram stops near the Grand Bazzar, but that mosque seems far from the Grand Bazaar. Did you walk from the Grand Bazaar to the mosque, take a taxi, or use some other public transportation?

 

Should I be wary of getting too far away from the tram?

[John Bull]

Firstly, depends on where your ship berths.

The quay used by cruise ships is long - very long - stretching nearly a mile downstream from Galata bridge. Three different tram stops, depending on your berth. You'll likely not know where until you arrive, & I doubt even the captain will know until a day or so ahead. The quayside along the cruise berths is a warren of blind/barred roads & can't be walked alongside the water, so head for your nearest tramstop.

 

If you berth close to the Galata Bridge, it's easy to walk over it to the waterside/ferry district of Eminonu & on to the Sireci tramstop. But the ground then rises to the sights of old-city Sultanahmet such as the Blue Mosque. So IMHO, regardless of exactly where you berth, it's way better to start the day with a tram ride to your furthest point, probably the Sultanahmet tramstop, & walk back down from there.

 

You'll need 2 Turkish lire per person per tram ride, you purchase jetons (tokens) from a machine at the tram stop (very easy, instructions in English, gives change) & the jeton gives you access to the tramstop via a turnstile.

If you know you're going to need the tram to return to the ship, you can buy those jetons at the same time. Just might avoid missing a tram because of a line for the machine.

Note the name of your tramstop, for the return journey.

You want a tram heading to your left.

Take the tram to Sultanahmet (previous stop is Gulhane).

This is very close to the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) & a number of other places such as Hagia Sophia/Aya Sofia (various spellings) - a beautifully-restored former church & mosque, now a museum & the most likely place for long lines. If you go there first, you'll be ahead of your fellow-cruisers - but cruisers are only a small proportion of Istanbul's visitors.

 

Then work your way downhill on foot via sights of your choice, such as the Topkapi Palace or the Grand Bazaar, toward the Galata Bridge. Your final choice is likely to be the Spice Bazaar, close to the bridge.

You'll be going mainly downhill, so without walking difficulties it's not worth taking the tram for one stop.

 

From Galata Bridge, depending on your priorities & time-in-hand, you can :

 

- explore other sights, such as the Rustem Pasha mosque, on your side of the busy waterside road

- or wander up or down the Golden Horn on that side of the water (though access to the waterfront upstream is intermittent & downstram is berths & carparks rather than promenade)

- or take a tourist boat or a ferry, again from that side of the Golden Horn. Most are to the right of the Galata Bridge, but the ferry up the Golden Horn is to the left of the bridge, beyond the bus station. You'll need TL for the ferries but euros OK for tourist boats.

- or return to the ship on foot or by tram. The bridge, ferries etc, are accessed by a pedestrian subway under the waterside road, the Eminonu tramstop is in the middle of that road & accessed by the same subway.

- or explore the few sights on the other (cruise ship) side of the Golden Horn, such as Taksim Square & the Galata Tower. Probably too much to add in a single day in port.

 

Check which day-of-the-week you're in port, and research whether any sights are closed that day.

 

Lots of options. Probably others will have different suggestions.

 

JB :)

[texancruzer]

ditto what John Bull said....... and as a side note - the trams run every 5 minutes or so..... so you never wait long for one.

 

Also - if you are returning from the historic district via tram - make sure you get on the right one. It seems there was a blue and a red line...... can't remember which was which but.......this map might help a bit

 

http://www.istanbultrails.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/metro-tram-map-istanbul.jpg

 

There is one line that stops right before the bridge and then goes back the OTHER WAY....... we found out the hard way. We were sitting there at the stop and two Turkish gentlemen (who knew we were tourists) motioned us to get off. The did not speak Engish but thru motions we figured out the tram was going to go back the way we came...... and they pointed to the other tram line next to the one we were on and then towards the ship.

 

They didn't have to help us.....but that is how we found the people of Istanbul. Reserved but more than happy and willing to help tourists.

[maryann ns]

I agree to take the tram to the furthest point. Then work your way back. We walked from the spice market across the Galata Bridge, but then took the tram for the couple stops to the pier since there was not much to see and we had tokens to use.

[cruisemom42]

Originally, I was planning on doing a golden horn walk where I walked from the port terminal onto to the Galata Bridge till I got to the Sirecki train station and then took the tram to see Istanbul's Old Town.

 

But, now, I'm wondering if I should skip that walk and take the nearest tram so I can get into Istanbul's Old Town right away. Are there any sights in that area- Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace- that have such long lines that I should try to reach before the rest of the cruise passengers descend on the area?

 

Topkapi Palace and Haghia Sophia can both get crowded. Topkapi is bigger, so the crowds can spread out more. If you can get there early, I'd probably head first for Haghia Sophia and don't forget to visit the upper gallery for a fantastic close up of the mosaics.

You can actually purchase tickets in advance for Haghia Sophia that will also save time, as the ticket line tends to get backed up. The official site has been posted on CC several times if you do a search.

 

And, from going from one tram stop to the next tram stop, like Gulhane to Sutanahmet, is it faster to walk or take the tram when you factor in the time you have to wait for the tram?

 

It's generally just as fast to walk. Gulhane and Sultanahmet are very close to each other. Some stops are a little farther apart, but still easily walkable.

 

Finally, I wanted to go see the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent but its not on the tram route. There's two tram stops near the Grand Bazzar, but that mosque seems far from the Grand Bazaar. Did you walk from the Grand Bazaar to the mosque, take a taxi, or use some other public transportation?

 

Can't help you much with this from personal experience, as the mosque was closed for restoration the last couple of times I visited Istanbul. I did walk by it; I believe it's only about a 10-minute walk from the Grand Bazaar.

 

Should I be wary of getting too far away from the tram?

Not particularly. I've walked around Istanbul quite a bit on my own as a solo woman. Obviously like any city, you should be alert to your surroundings and if an area doesn't "feel" safe to you, it's probably best to retrace your steps to a more central area.

 

 

See my comments above.

[Julessmiles]

I would suggest Topkapi Palace first - we got there early & there were already big queues. Once inside, we headed straight for the Harem (had to get extra tickets for this). We saw it at it's best before it got too busy. As we were leaving the Harem, it was getting really busy & so was he rest of the Palace & Grounds. We next headed to Aghia Sophia & there were long queues there so we have it a miss as we are going back this year so will get the early this time first. Blue Mosque was closed for prayers so we headed for Cisterns then back to the Blue Mosque later.

 

We wallked over the Galata Bridge both ways - great experience; must be done!!

[MeHeartCruising]

Finally, I wanted to go see the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent but its not on the tram route. There's two tram stops near the Grand Bazzar, but that mosque seems far from the Grand Bazaar. Did you walk from the Grand Bazaar to the mosque, take a taxi, or use some other public transportation?

 

I walked to the Suleyman Mosque on the morning of my second day in port. I took the tram to the stop right before the Galata bridge from the ship and walked up to the Galata Tower. Then I walked back down and across the bridge and worked my way up to the Mosque using a map. I never felt uncomfortable (solo, large, touristy-looking American man in my late 40s). There were times when I was the only person on the street area, but I just kept walking until I got there. It's well worth going there if you can manage it. It's off the beaten tourist path some.

 

Also, I agree with the advice to hop on the tram as soon as you can and get over to the Sultanahmet sites. I did this and was one of the first 10 people inside Hagia Sophia. It was amazingly empty for about 15 minutes before hundreds flooded in. It is an amazing building. I used a mixture of the tram and walking thru my 2 days there.